Vending-machine.



PATEN'LBD MAY 5, 1903.

J. M. JACOBS. VENDING MACHINE. APPLIOATION nun AUG. 1a, 1902. y noMODEL. a sums-sum 1.

" w my PATBNTED vMAY 5, 1903.

J. M. JACOBS. VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16, 1902.

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No. 726,934. PATENTED MAY 5, 1903.

' J. M. JACOBS.

VENDING MAGHINE.

APPLI OATIOK FILED AUG. 16- 1902.

8 SHEETS8HEET 3..

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UNITED STAT S Patented May 5, 1903.

PAT NT OFFICE.

VENDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 726,934, dated May 5,1903. Application filed August 16, 1902. Serial No. 119,856. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, JOHN MILLER J AOOBS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Norristown, in the county of Montgomery and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVending-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to that class of vending-machines wherein thearticle to be vended is held within a case and delivered therefrom onlyby the operation of a normally-locked mechanism, the passage of a coinreleasing the delivery mechanism, and in such connection it relates moreparticularly to the construction and arrangement of such avending-machine.

The principal object of my invention is to provide, in a vendingapparatus, a delivery mechanism of simple construction and arrangementand a locking meanscontrolled by the passage of a coin through theapparatus and controlling the delivery mechanism, so as to permit of themanual manipulation of said mechanism when the locking means iscontrolled by the coin.

The nature and scope of my invention will be more fully understood fromthe following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, forming part hereof, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevationalview of a coin-controlled vending apparatus embodying main featuresofjmy invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional View taken on the line2 2 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sectional views taken,respectively, on the lines 3 3 and 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an en-'larged sectional view illustrating in detail the coin-controlled lockingmechanism of the apparatus. Fig. 6 is a top or plan view of Fig. 5. Fig.7 is a side elevational view, enlarged, of the mechanism for rotatingthe delivery wheel or drum of the apparatus and of the feed or guideroll and accessories for guiding the articles into the pockets of thedelivery wheel'or drum, said drum and its stops being shown in dottedlines. Fig. 8 is a top or plan view of Fig. 7; and Fig. 9 is a verticalsection, enlarged, of the delivery end of the case of the apparatus, thedelivery wheel or drum, and the guide-roller.

.ing upward toward the chamber a.

the articles B to be sold, is placed. The box or case b'has its bottomopen to permit of the feeding by gravity of the articles B down- Ward tothe delivery or discharge end of the chamber or compartment a. Thisdischarge end of the chamber a is open and inclines forward toward thefront of the apparatus. Below the chamber a is arranged a shelf d,having a back extension or wing 01, extend- Below the shelf d isarranged the drawer or box e,

. into which the coins fall after releasing the delivery mechanismhereinafter described and in which they are collected. One of the sidewalls of the compartment a is cut away, as at 0, to receive thecoin-chute a The chute 0, is secured to the inner face of a cover-plate0%, which is fastened to the exterior of the cut-away side Wall of thecompartment (1, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The chute ahas a slotted entrance end a located at the front of the apparatus.

In the drawings the apparatus is illustrated as especially adapted forthe vending of cylindrical objects, such as cigars,cigarettes, or otherobjects. For this purpose in the space between the forwardly-inclineddischarge end of the compartment a and the shelf dis adapted to rotatewith a step-bystep movement a wheel or drumf, having in its periphery aseries of pocketsf, shaped to conform to the shape of the 'article to bevended. This drum or wheel f serves as a closure for the discharge endof the compartment a when the drum or wheelfis at rest and a means forconveying the articles singly from the compartment a to the shelf (1 ateach partial revolution ofthe drum or wheelf.

'The mechanism for rotating the drum or wheel f with a step-by-stepmovement is controlled by a lever-arm g, pivoted intermediate of itsends, as at g, to one of the sides of the'compartment a and having itsbody slotted, so as to surround the axisf of the drum fand to oscillatefreely Without impinging upon said axis. The inner end of this leverarm9 is normally depressed by a spring 9 extending from the arm g to afixed part of the apparatus, preferably the base, as illusend of thechute a trated in Fig. 4. The free outer end of the lever-arm g projectsbeyond the front plate a of the machine in the form of a key or handleThe front portion of the arm 9 oscillates in a slot a, formed in saidplate (F, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and t. The drum or wheelf has at one of its ends a series of pins f equally spaced and alinedwith and corresponding in number-to the pockets of the drum or wheelf.On this end of the drum fthe pins f serve as a means for transmittingthe oscillating movement of the lever-arm 9 into a step-by-step movementof the wheel or drum f. In the normal position of the lever-arm g a pinf rests beneath the tailpiece g of a pawl 9 pivoted to the arm 9 withinthe chamber Ct. When the lever-arm g is operated by the depression ofthe key g the pawl g through its tailpiece g presses upon one of thepins f and turns the drum or wheel f a predetermined distance. When thespring 9* returns the arm 9 to its normal position, a next succeedingpin f which rests above the pawl 9 rides over said pawl and depressesits tailpiece 9 until the pin slips under the tailpiece 9 as clearlyillustrated in full and dotted lines in Fig. 7. A dog or stop-pawl g atthe rear of the arm g prevents a retrograde movement of the wheel ordrumf by normally resting under a third pin f in series, while a stopprojection g on the arm g immediately below the tailpiece g of the pawlg limits the forward movement of the wheel or drunrfby res ting underone of the pinsf when the arm g returns to its normal position and saidpin has passed under the tailpiece. The rear end of the pawl g isadapted to impinge upon the axis f of the drum and to thereby lock thetailpiece against the pin f during the downward movement of the lever g.A stop-pin g limits the throw upward of the tailpiece g Backwardmovement of the pawl g is prevented bya stop or lug g. This step-by-stepmovement of the drum or wheelf is normally prevented by a locking deviceadapted to be released only when a coin A is passed into and through thechute a To accomplish this, the other end of the drum fis provided witha second series of pins f, corresponding in number and position to thepinsf at the opposite end of the drumf. One of the pins f rests normallyupon the cam projection it, carried at the front weighted end of a leverh, the rear end of the lever h being slotted, as at 72 and formingnormally a closure for the lower The lever h is pivoted intermediate ofits ends in the side wall a of the compartment a and is so weighted thatthe inner end It is normally pressed against the chute a as illustratedin detail in Figs. 5 and 6. When now a coin A drops through the chute aand onto the slotted end if of the lever h, the weight of the coin willtilt the inner end of the lever downward and raise its weighted end andalso the cam h.

This cam h will ride under and clear the pin f, thus freeing the drum orwheelf and permitting of its step-by-step movement, as hereinabovedescribed; The weight of the coin tilts the lever 71, until the leverreaches the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, wherein theweight extendsinward beyond the pivotal support for the lever 72,, whenthe coin A drops from the slotted end h of the lever into the box orreceptacle e. When now the drum f is rotated, a pin f after passing thecam it will strike against a projection 72- formed on the lever h. Theinner side of the pivotal point and the movement of the pin f and drumfwill now move the inner end of the lever h upward until the weighted endpasses outward beyond the pivotal point and restores the lever h to itsnormal position. WVhen so restored, the cam h rests under the nextsucceeding pin f of the drum f and locks said drum until the passage ofa coin A through the chute a again releases the cam h from the pin f.The cylindrical objects B collect in the bottom of the compartment orand rest upon the periphery of the drum f in a more or less disorderedcondition. To properly guide or feed separate objects B into a pocket fand to prevent more than the required number from entering said pockets,there is provided a feed and guide roller an, arranged above the drumand adapted to be rotated in the same direction as the drum f rotates.To accomplish this, to one end of the roller m is socured a ratchet m,and adjacent to the ratchet freely oscillates upon the roller m a platem carrying a pawl m engaging the teeth of the ratchet m, so as to turnthe ratchet m and roller m in the required direction. An arm mprojecting from the plate m is connected by a link m with the key end gof the leverarm 9. When now said key g is depressed to actuate the drum,the link m arm m and plate m operate through the pawl m and the ratchetm to thereby turn the roller m. This movement of the roller 'm serves,as clearly illustrated in Figs. 7, 8, and 9, to properly guide thecylinders B into the pocketsf of the drum f. If required, the pockets fmay be arranged to carry two cylinders B or any number, as required, inwhich instance the drum f when manipulated will deliver the contents ofone pocket f upon the insertion of the proper coin, no matter whetherthe pocket f carries one, two, or more objects.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a vending apparatus, a drum having in its periphery a series ofpockets, a compartment having a discharge end closed by said drum, afeed and guide roller arranged within the compartment adjacent to andabove the delivery side of the drum, a mechanism for rotating said drumwith a step-bystep movement in one direction, and means ICO meanscontrolled by said mechanism for c0r= respondingly rotating said feed orguide roller.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my signature in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

JOHN MILLER JACOBS.

Witnesses:

J. WALTER DOUGLASS, THOMAS M. SMITH.

